College basketball is well underway this season and as we are just starting the conference season. Many will play the role of Bracketologist predicting the field of 68. Tim Krueger, co-host of the Bluejay Banter radio show returns for his 5th season of predicting the field. Krueger ranks up there with the best of them with a Tier 1 ranking participating in The Bracket Project the past several years.
Leading up to Selection Sunday, Krueger will provide White & Blue Review his updated bracket predictions. Bluejay Banter can be heard every Monday from 6-7 PM on 1620 the Zone–The Home of the Jays.
The Bracket as of 1/10/14:
| WEST | EAST | ||
| 1-Arizona* | 1-Syracuse* | ||
| 16-Northern. Colorado* | 16-Albany*/W.Carolina* | ||
| San Diego, March 21-23 | Buffalo, March 20-22 | ||
| 8-Michigan | 8-Kansas St | ||
| 9-New Mexico | 9-Tennessee | ||
| 4- Baylor | 4-UMass* | ||
| 13-Hawaii* | 13-Ohio* | ||
| San Diego, March 21-23 | Orlando, March 20-22 | ||
| 5-Gonzaga* | 5-Memphis* | ||
| 12-North Dakota State* | 12-Boise St/Stanford | ||
| 3-San Diego St.* | 3-Oklahoma St | ||
| 14-Florida-Gulf Coast* | 14-S.F. Austin* | ||
| Spokane. March 20-22 | San Antonio. March 21-23 | ||
| 6-Cinncinati | 6-Louisville | ||
| 11-Cal | 11-SMU | ||
| 7-Xavier | 7-Illinois | ||
| 10-Oklahoma | 10-George Washington | ||
| Buffalo, March 20-22 | Orlando, March 20-22 | ||
| 2-Ohio St | 2-Florida* | ||
| 15-St. Francis-NY* | 15-William & Mary* | ||
| SOUTH | MIDWEST | ||
| 1-Michigan St | 1-Wisconsin* | ||
| 16-UMKC*/Norfolk St* | 16-Southern* | ||
| St. Louis, March 21-23 | Milwaukee,March 20-22 | ||
| 8-St. Louis | 8-Dayton | ||
| 9-Missouri | 9-Virginia | ||
| 4-Wichita St* | 4-Duke | ||
| 13-Green Bay* | 13-Manhattan* | ||
| San Antonio, March 21-23 | Raleigh, March 21-23 | ||
| 5-Kansas | 5-Colorado | ||
| 12-Southern Miss* | 12-Harvard* | ||
| 3-Oregon | 3-Kentucky | ||
| 14-Arkansas St.* | 14-Morehead St* | ||
| Spokane, March 20-22 | St. Louis, March 21-23 | ||
| 6-Creighton | 6-Iowa | ||
| 11-Minnesota | 11-VCU/North Carolina | ||
| 7-Pitt | 7-UCLA | ||
| 10-Uconn | 10-St. Marys | ||
| Milwaukee, March 20-22 | Raleigh, March 21-23 | ||
| 2-Iowa State* | 2-Villanova* | ||
| 15-Radford* | 15-Boston U* |
*Indicate Conference Auto-Bid
Krueger’s Notes on the Bracket:
The first bracket of the season. With conference play just barely under way so much can change between now and the middle of March. The top 4 on the first line are pretty solid. There is not much difference between lines 3 and 5 at this point.
One big name (North Carolina) is in the play-in game. Several big names (Marquette, Georgetown, and Notre Dame) are out.
Jays come in as the last 6 seed. It is a real wait and see on Creighton right now. How will they play without Grant Gibbs? Will Doug McDermott’s injury hamper him? A big two game homestand will tell a lot.
Last four in: Boise State, North Carolina, VCU, Stanford
First four out: Florida St, Texas, NC State, Ole Miss
Next four out: Georgetown, Arkansas, Wake Forest, LSU
Next Bracket will be published on January 20th.